Timeline
Below is a timeline of events in the world of Tattered Weave, assembled from various canon sources and comments by the staff. Much of the world's history is still unknown. There are a number of legends surrounding the Cataclysm and events thereafter, but it is unknown how accurate they are, and it has been hinted that some of them (and the figures therein) may be more folklore than accurate historical recounting. Timeline Pre-Cataclysm A thousand years before modern times, the world was a unified whole. Society was in a Golden Age, named for the abundance of knowledge and the technological advancements that "advanced society into a time of prosperity and splendor." Details about the pre-Cataclysm world are not entirely known--however, it is heavily implied that the world operated much like the real world in terms of physics, scientific makeup, etc. It is unknown whether the pre-Cataclysm world was a fictional version of Earth, although various details (e.g. the naming of certain items and phrasing of certain answers to various questions) seem to imply it. It is known that the pre-Cataclysm world was massive, encompassing many cultures and "filled with so many languages that it’s a mystery how anyone understood anyone else at all." The Cataclysm and aftermath On an unknown date a thousand years before the present day, an entity known only as the Unmaker attacked, bringing the Golden Age to an end. The Unmaker's attack tore apart the very fabric of the world, transforming most of reality into the Tattered Weave--a void filled with the formless threads of the old world. Only two areas of the world are known to have survived the Cataclysm: Hope and the Enchanted Forest. In the area of the world that would become Hope, a legend describes a heroine named Althea, who sacrificed her life to shield as much of her home as possible from the Unmaker's attack (called "the Cataclysm" in Hope). She managed to spare a small area--approximately the size of a small town--from being unmade, along with all of its inhabitants. The survivors later founded a town and a university to preserve the knowledge of the past, and named both "Hope" in her honor. Records of the early days after the Cataclysm are sparse. Some of the technology and knowledge of the Golden Age was preserved, including solar power and 3D printing. However, a great deal more was destroyed, and lingering knowledge about surviving technology generally consisted of how to salvage it, rather than how it was originally used. Much of pre-Cataclysm history and culture was also lost, both to the Cataclysm and in the ages following it. The various cultures of the survivors also began melding together--although diverse skintones/names/etc still exist in the present day, most of their pre-Cataclysm meanings and implications have been lost. Although Nicholas's words and many of the Hope history books cast things in a kinder light, it is implied that Hope was not peaceful throughout all of its history. By the current day, however, Hope and its inhabitants had settled into a peaceful existence. Various individuals and expeditions attempted to explore the Tattered Weave. However, none of them returned. In another part of the world--the area that would become the Enchanted Forest--a legend describes the Wizards Three enchanting their people to protect them against the Withering (the Forest's name for the Cataclysm). *The Loving Greenman enchanted the trees, transforming them into the dryads. He also sacrificed his body to create the Heart of the Enchanted Forest. *The Brave Harpy gave wings to her warriors, transforming them into the avoreals. *The Wise Merlin (who, according to folklore, had invented the Cataclysm but then later regretted it and rallied the other Wizards) gave magic to the remaining humans, transforming them into the elves. Under the rulership of "one who gives themselves entirely to the enchantment that protects the Heart of the Forest," the three species worked and continue to work together to protect their home from the Withering. While their roles are not entirely known, it is known that the dryads shield the Forest from below with their roots and create life within the Heart of the Enchanted Forest, and that the avoreals guard the skies, "flying into the Tatters to claw back the emptiness for one more shred of sunlight." Until recent times, neither Hope nor the Enchanted Forest were aware of the other's survival, and both believed themselves to be the sole surviving Remnant of reality. Recent history In Hope Over a decade ago, Nicholas Artois was elected Headmaster of Hope. An unknown time ago: *An unnamed cousin of Nicholas's ventured into the Tattered Weave in search of adventure. Like the others, she never returned. *Piper Artois started her Arcade with her mother's, her brother's, Andre's, and Jay's help. *Lycus Artois began researching the Tattered Weave. *The campus library was converted into a bookstore due to books being damaged or lost, much to the unhappiness of its maintainer, Miranda. In the Enchanted Forest An unknown time ago: *The Kith arrive in the Enchanted Forest. *Celariel becomes Princess of the Enchanted Forest, while her father, the King, retreats to the Heart of the Forest for an unknown reason. *Othidar discovers his inspiration. An unknown time later, he loses it. Current history This section discusses all story events from the time of the site's launch and afterwards. A note on timing: It was confirmed by staff that the world of Tattered Weave's time flows in parallel with the time of the real world. In addition, it was confirmed that Hope uses a calendar similar to the Gregorian calendar, which is also synced to real-world time. E.g. events that took place two months apart in real time will have taken place two months apart in Tattered Weave time, and an event that happened on January 1 on the Tattered Weave site will have happened on the equivalent of January 1 in the Tattered Weave world. *January 28th, 2016: About a hundred Kith step into Hope from the Tatters, led by Iris. An unknown amount of time later, Nicholas and Iris form an Alliance, becoming the first human and Kith to Ally in Hope. *June 15, 2016: The students of Hope University begin forming Alliances with Kith. *September 12, 2016: The Scalyx begin emerging from the Tatters into Hope. *November 14, 2016: Lycus begins the series of experiments that will lead him to discover the Enchanted Forest. *November 15, 2016: The Hermithogs begin emerging from the Tatters into Hope. *December 14, 2016: A month after beginning his experiments, Lycus creates the Scanner, designed to locate other Remnants of reality within the Tattered Weave. Against the wishes of his father, he ventures into the Tattered Weave with Iris and crash-lands in the Enchanted Forest, perplexing Celariel. Iris introduces herself and Lycus, and Celariel agrees to allow visitors from Hope as a test of their goodwill. Iris returns to Hope with an injured Lycus in tow. Lore Entries Promotional Material From the Tattered Weave Opening Video: "A thousand years ago, the world was at the height of a Golden Age. The vast knowledge of the era had advanced society into a time of prosperity and splendor. But this age of marvel would not last forever. '' ''A foe of progress, the Unmaker, sought to bring the Golden Age to an end. The Unmaker tore apart the very fabric of reality and destroyed the world in a great Cataclysm. But all was not lost. One hero, challenging her people to never give up hope, found a way to protect a small remnant of the world. She sacrificed herself to preserve as much as she could of her home. Because of her sacrifice, a small remnant of the world survived. The few who remained alive honored her by naming it Hope. Her people persevered in the centuries that followed. They founded a university to preserve the knowledge of the Golden Age, and slowly began to flourish. Beyond Hope are the unwoven Threads, the formless debris of the destroyed world. '' ''For the past thousand years, the Threads have remained a mystery, as all who entered were lost forever. But today, Hope's isolation has come to an end. Strange creatures are emerging from the Threads. They call themselves "Kith," and they say they have come to help." Item Descriptions From the Chronicles of the Enchanted Forest book description: When the Withering began to drain the world of all life, the Wizards Three stepped forward to protect their people. The Loving Greenman granted true life to the trees, creating the Dryads. They protect the Forest at its roots, tangling them together into a living shield deep beneath the forest floor. The Brave Harpy granted wings to her warriors, creating the Avoreals. They defend the Forest at the very tips of its branches, keeping others safe from the Withering sky. The Wise Merlin granted magic to the rest, creating the Elves. They elected one to rule above all, one who gives themselves entirely to the enchantment that protects the Heart of the Forest. Without the balance between all three, the Enchanted Forest would have been lost to the Withering just like all other ancient life. From the Languages of the Past book description: Before the Cataclysm, the world was filled with so many languages that it’s a mystery how anyone understood anyone else at all. From the Economics book description: ''What is the difference between a buyer’s and seller’s market? When should you hold onto your shards? Did people really use pieces of plastic to trade before the Cataclysm? These and more questions answered within! '' From the Classical Mythology book description: ''Long before the Unmaker tore the world to tatters existed the Golden Age of knowledge and prosperity. So vast and wide was the utopian civilization that it encompassed stories of all kinds. This is a collection of some of those stories, the few that managed to be saved after the Cataclysm. '' From the Wizards of the Past: Greenman book description: ''Learn more about the first dryad, a kind man who sacrificed his body to form the Heart of the Enchanted Forest from which all dryad trees are born. Without their magical ability to create life within the confines of the Heart, the Withering would surely have destroyed us all. '' From the Wizards of the Past: Harpy book description: ''Learn more about the first avoreal, a brave woman who created wings for the warriors of the Enchanted Forest so they could guard the sky. It is an honor to fight back against the Withering by flying into the Tatters to claw back the emptiness for one more shred of sunlight. '' From the Wizards of the Past: Merlin book description: ''Learn more about the first elf, a mysterious legend who is rumored to have invited the Withering and then later regretted it, calling together the Wizards Three to protect the Enchanted Forest. '' Staff Comments From the 10/3/16 Staff Q&A: ''Though most of the knowledge of the Golden Age was lost, some of the carefully-preserved knowledge (through centuries of very difficult survival after the Cataclysm) included small "mini factory"-like processes of automation. As an example, imagine how 3D printing will evolve 50 years from now as technology advances. The Golden Age was named because it was a height of advanced technology that made life, well, golden! '' -- Diana NPC Comments